Scarf → Kaftan

I had a very nice white cotton scarf with gold tassels in my altering pile...it was there because it was a summer scarf, but it seemed way too wide and so was a bit hot to wear when it was warm. But I hadn't got around to making it narrower. And with a sunny holiday looming, I needed a kaftan for lobbing over my swimsuit and so I made a different plan...

  

First I folded the scarf in half. To make side seams, I sewed two lines about 20cm in from each outside edge. I left a space of about 30cm at the top to put my arms through.

Then I measured across the top fold to find the middle. I slowly and carefully trimmed a hole to put my head through. Just a slight curve for the back neckline and a not-too-deep V at the front.

 

Then I stitched some gold bias binding on to the wrong side of the neck opening, stitching in the fold as I opened it out. Purchased bias binding makes the process very quick and easy. Before getting back to the start, I stitched the two pieces of bias binding right sides together, so that when I turned it to the front, there would be a neat seam. 

                           So I folded the bias binding over to the front and top-stitched it in place.   

 

And that was it: ready now for some beach weather and holiday fun!

  

                                

                                       From this...

...to this!

  

   

A Madonna costume...

The John-Paul Gaultier cone corsets would have to be one of the most iconic costumes that Madonna has worn. So with a group of us going to the concert and the call out to wear something suitably "Madonna-esque" I decided to take on the challenge.

I didn't start till just a few days before so I spent a fair bit of time thinking about how I'd tackle it. Purchasing the fabric and other bits and pieces didn't take long - it was just a rush of two nights sewing at the end!

But when I went to start, I couldn't get my head around what shape to cut for the "cup" part, so I sacrificed an old bra to get an idea for that. Then I marked circles and with two layers of calico and a layer of the thin wadding between, I stitched like a mad thing around all the circles.

 

Then I had to close up where the V opening was (to make a dart) and bob's your uncle: two cones.

 

I'd bought a super-cheap e-bay corset thingy because I'd originally thought I might sew the parts to it but that idea went by the wayside. What it did give me was an idea of the shapes to cut out. Which I stitched fast and furious to get that quilted look.

  

Then I finished the edges with bias binding and put in a zip to do it up the front. Some heavy ribbon for straps, smaller ribbon and suspender clips, and a few little bows finished it off.

      

The full costume had suit trousers and a jacket for modesty (with a couple of slashes - ha!).

 

And the concert was a blast!

     

Cutwork bookmarks...

..using free-motion stitching!

These cutwork bookmarks use free motion stitching and three layers of fabric.

Woollen blankets revived

In furnishing this time.

I needed to get my dining chairs recovered. They'd come from the farm and you could tell...

Ladybird pin

Scarf - felted, woollen and upcyled!

I love old jumpers: real jumpers made with real wool and perfect for recycling!  I've found that they can take a bit of hunting for, but with a number piling up, I started on my scarf project...

 

Fabric storage basket using recycled denim

A quick and interesting way to use an old pair of jeans - and a cheap source of fabric.

Photo by Sarah Ryan

Start with an old pair of jeans and cut off a portion off the bottom.

Bag: re-using a woollen blanket

I love the old check woollen blankets, and I have been stashing a few. Last week, I discovered that my every-day bag was disintegrating, and new ones that I looked at were so expensive! So I got to, and decided to put one of my old blankets to good use (this one I'd picked up for $2 at an Op Shop in the doggy blanket section).

Photo by Sarah Ryan

So I made a template from my old bag, and cut out two on the bias (diagonally), and two from a contrast fabric for the lining. Then I added an extra piece to make an inside pocket. 

Little crochet storage basket

I haven't crocheted anything, ever, other than crocheting a chain when I was a kid. But I was tempted to have a go at this simple looking little basket...good for storing bits in the bathroom, or sitting room, or full of felt pebbles like mine here!

Photo by Sarah Ryan

A workshop was advertised at "Gather Handmade", a giftshop in Liverpool St, so I went along to have my first real go at crocheting.